Macroeconomic Advisors Skeptical of GOP's Forgettable 15

Republicans may want to think twice before printing out their pocket card. Yet another look by economists at Republicans’ partisan agenda shows that House Republican's Forgettable Fifteen bills to roll back consumer and environmental protections – most of which don’t even exist yet - won’t help put more Americans back to work or boost our economy:

“Regulation does not prevent the economy from achieving full employment. After all, the economy wasn’t that much less regulated in 2007 when the unemployment rate was 4.5%, half of today’s reading…There are, however, legitimate reasons for many regulatory requirements, including the discouragement of health and safety hazards and the reduction of systemic financial risk, the costs of which may not be fully reflected in prices posted in an unregulated market. Hence, it is important to recognize that jobs should not be the sole, even the main, criterion for assessing the value of a particular regulation.”

So, will House Republicans work with Democrats on the American Jobs Act, which economists say could create up to two millions jobs? Or will they continue to cling to policies that economists and fact-checkers agree won’t create jobs or help our economy?